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February 16, 1992 Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles, CA
This special celebrates the fiftieth birthday of the former heavyweight champion of the world, Muhammad Ali, with performances and tributes from many celebraties. Highlights include: Dustin Hoffman first introduces Muhammad Ali and then Whitney Houston, who sings "The Greatest Love of All"; Dan Aykroyd recalls the relationship Ali had with sportscaster Howard Cosell; some clips are shown of the most memorable Cosell-Ali interviews, followed by an emotional commentary from Cosell to Ali; The Four Tops perform a medley of songs including "Reach Out I'll Be There," "Standing in the Shadows of Love," and "Can't Help Myself"; rap singer MC Hammer talks about Ali's life outside the ring and how he became involved in boxing; clips of some of Ali's earliest fights, including the 1960 Olympics when he won the gold medal, are shown; track-and-field gold medalist Wilma Rudolph reminisces about her first meeting with Ali during the 1960 Olympics after they had both won gold medals; she presents Ali with one of her medals because the Olympic committee is making a special medal to commemorate his birthday; Billy Crystal pays tribute to Ali and Cosell with a routine that mocks both men, while praising them at the same time; Blair Underwood recites a poem about Ali's character and then introduces Raven-Symone, who also recites a poem for Ali; The Pointer Sisters perform the song "Neutron Dance"; rock-'n'-roll legend, Little Richard, performs "Good Golly Miss Molly"; comedian Sinbad does a routine about the life of a boxer, training to become a boxer, and the jumping rope aspect of training; Charles Dutton talks about the intrigue of Ali's boldness with the media, and clips of those bold statements are shown; former champion Sugar Ray Leonard introduces Tony Danza, who was once a professional boxer; Danza then tells a story about when he first met Ali at a New York City gym; he also demonstrates the speed bag, jumping rope, and the heavy bag, turning it into a song and dance routine; Ella Fitzgerald is escorted on stage by former opponents of Ali, Ken Norton and Joe Frazier, and sings "Too Close For Comfort"; Underwood gives the history of three of the most famous fights in history -- between Ali and Frazier -- and clips from the three matches they fought are shown; Ali's daughter, May May Ali, performs a rap song-and-dance number; Diana Ross, along with the New York Boys Choir, performs "The Force Behind the Power"; a special message from Nelson Mandela in South Africa is read; and the finale brings all the guests on stage to sing "You've Got a Friend" followed by some parting words from Ali. CREDITS George Schlatter … Executive Producer, Writer Gary Necessary … Producer Howard Bingham … Producer Louis J. Horvitz … Director William Schifrin … Researcher Buz Kohan … Writer Glen Roven … Music by Toni Basil … Choreographer New York Boys Choir, The … Choir, Performers Four Tops, The … Music Group, Performers Pointer Sisters, The … Music Group, Performers Whitney Houston … Singer, Performer Little Richard … Singer, Performer Ella Fitzgerald … Singer, Performer May May Ali … Singer, Performer Diana Ross … Singer, Performer Billy Crystal … Performer Sinbad … Performer Tony Danza … Performer Muhammad Ali … Honoree Dan Aykroyd Howard Cosell Charles Dutton Joe Frazier Dustin Hoffman Sugar Ray Leonard Nelson Mandela MC Hammer Ken Norton Wilma Rudolph Raven Symone Blair Underwood